Dr. Roland Schissau, Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy (front row, 3rd from right) with representatives from the coastal barangays, Tambayan Center for Children´s Rights and beneficiaries in front of an on-going construction of public toilets (on concrete stilts?!) as part of the aid project.
The German Embassy visited Badjao and other less-developed coastal communities (Barangays 21-23) in Davao City. They benefit from a 3-year project funded with EUR 650,000 (around Php 40 million) by the German government. The project is implemented by Tambayan Center for Children´s Rights and German aid organization Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe. Together, they provide training on disaster-resistant construction, waste disposal and handling of electricity to prevent fires. These communities live in very precarious circumstances and are constantly threatened by flooding. Flooding from polluted sea or nearby river water leads to much wanting sanitary conditions in the area. The project therefore also seeks to improve general hygiene and fight waterborne diseases. Building public toilets consequently is an important part of the German engagement. The embassy got a hands-on impression of the challenging living circumstances, but even more impressive was the community’s commitment to undertake a collective effort to improve them. The visit was very well received and triggered a lot of joyfulness and laughter.
Dr. Schissau visits the community of Badjaos who received training in disaster resilient construction.
